The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi, locally known as Tino, has risen to 188 in the Philippines, following the storm’s devastating impact on central cities and towns earlier this week. The typhoon, which has since crossed the South China Sea and made landfall in central Vietnam, caused widespread flooding, toppled trees and power lines, and displaced over half a million people across the Visayas, Mindanao, and southern Luzon. As of now, 127 people are still reported missing.
In response to the disaster, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared a national state of emergency to expedite relief efforts and access emergency funds. Meanwhile, Vietnam’s coastal provinces are preparing for heavy rain and high tides as the storm system, carrying gale-force winds, has the potential to cause further flooding inland.
Typhoon Kalmaegi first hit the Philippines on Tuesday, causing severe flooding in Cebu province and neighboring areas. By late Tuesday, local governments had ordered mass evacuations as water levels rose rapidly, sweeping cars along major roads. Search-and-rescue teams were deployed on Wednesday to assist stranded residents, while ferry services and numerous domestic flights were canceled.
After regaining strength over open water, the storm reached Vietnam’s central coast on Thursday. Although forecasters predict the storm will weaken as it moves northwest towards Cambodia and Thailand, its extensive rain field could still trigger flash floods.
Philippine disaster officials have reported that over 560,000 people have been displaced by the flooding, with nearly 450,000 in evacuation centers at the peak of the disaster. Cebu province, a significant tourism and trade hub, suffered some of the heaviest losses after rivers burst their banks, destroying riverside homes and filling streets with debris. Tragically, a Philippine Air Force helicopter carrying aid crashed during operations, killing all six crew members.
As the storm system moved west, Vietnam’s disaster prevention agency recorded peak winds of around 82 mph along sections of the central coast and warned of dangerous high tides in and around Ho Chi Minh City. Schools in several coastal towns have been closed, and pre-emptive evacuations have been announced in low-lying districts.
The arrival of Typhoon Kalmaegi has further strained communities in and around Cebu, which were still recovering from a September earthquake that damaged buildings and bridges. The Philippines, which experiences an average of 20 tropical cyclones each year, has endured a series of destructive storms since late summer.
In Vietnam, the landfall of Typhoon Kalmaegi followed a week of deadly flooding that had already claimed dozens of lives in central provinces. The region’s low-lying deltas and rapidly urbanizing coastal cities remain vulnerable to compound flooding when heavy rain coincides with high tides and overwhelms drainage systems.
Relief efforts are underway in the Philippines, with relief flights and naval transports delivering food packs, water, and generators to Cebu and neighboring islands. Engineers are working to clear landslides and reopen blocked highways to reach isolated communities. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, aviation officials have warned of possible delays at airports serving Da Nang and Quy Nhon, and river patrols are monitoring the Saigon River as rain bands sweep inland.